


"...I think I'm gay"

by cherry_bomb_space



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst?, Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, guang is an exchange student, leo plays hockey, some homophobia, usage of the f slur
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-09-15 23:16:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 20,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9263060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherry_bomb_space/pseuds/cherry_bomb_space
Summary: Guang-Hong Ji is a foreign exchange student in an American high school. After getting ridiculed by some classmates, Guang-Hong makes his first friend. Leo is one of the most popular kids in school, but, after making friends with Guang-Hong, is his popularity in jeopardy?





	1. Chapter 1

The first day at a new school is always the worst. Luckily, Pinnacle was a big school, so Guang-Hong didn’t stick out too much. But, because it was a big school, Guang-Hong was finding it difficult to get around. His guidance counselor had walked him to his first class, but after that Guang-Hong ended up asking his teacher for directions to his next class.

He was heading to lunch when three boys from his last class, fourth period, came up to him and started talking to him.

“Hey, you’re that new kid from China, right?” one of them asked.

“Yes.”  
“How did you learn to speak English so well?”

“My mom only spoke English to me when I was young. So, when I was five I was fluent in Mandarin and English.”

“I thought they spoke Chinese in China?”

“Well, kind of. There are lots of different dialects.”

The other boys talked amongst themselves for a while, following Guang-Hong to the cafeteria. Guang-Hong had tuned out their conversation and was trying to get ahead of them until one of them said, “Yeah, I’d hit that. What about you, Guang-Hong?”

“What? I don’t understand.”

“C’mon, man, I thought you said you were fluent.”

“I am. I just don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“What, are you gay or something?” All of the boys stopped. Guang-Hong didn’t know why, but he stopped too.

“What? No. I just don’t understand.”

The other boys kept teasing him and Guang-Hong didn’t know what else to do. Just when he felt like he was about to burst into tears from all the teasing, another boy walked up to them and stood next to him.

“Guys, leave the new kid alone. Just because he doesn’t understand what you’re saying doesn’t mean he’s gay. And what if he is? One out of every ten people are gay, you know,” the boy said.

“How would you know that, Leo? Are you gay or something?”

“I’m on the student board for the GSA, Thomas. That’s how I know that. And I'm bi, but I don't see how that matters.”

Thomas and his friends just stood there as Leo grabbed Guang-Hong’s arm and led him to the cafeteria.

“I’m sorry about that. Those guys are jerks. Lots of guys at this school are jerks actually.”

“It’s okay. What did it mean anyway? The thing they were saying?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. It’s not something you’ll ever need to know. I’m Leo, by the way. Do you want to sit with me at lunch? Unless you have someone else to sit with.”

“I don’t, thank you. I’m Guang-Hong.”

“Where are you from, Guang-Hong?”

“China. I’m a foreign exchange student.”

“Oh, that’s cool. What made you choose to come to America?” Leo asked as they entered the cafeteria. They walked together towards the back and sat down at a table with a few other guys.

“My grandparents lived here and this is where my mom grew up. I wanted to learn more about the culture, I guess.”

“That’s cool.” The rest of the lunch period passed with talk of new classes and new teachers. As the lunch period went on, more guys sat down at the table. To Guang-Hong, they all looked very athletic.

At the end of the lunch hour, Guang-Hong walked with Leo to his locker. When Leo opened it, a note fell out and fell on the floor. Leo picked it up and read it really quick before crumpling it in his hand.

“What’s that?” Guang-Hong asked.

“My girlfriend broke up with me,” Leo said nonchalantly.

“With a note? That’s kind of rude, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, little bit.”

“You don’t look too upset,” Guang-Hong observed.

“Well, I was going to break up with her anyways.” Guang-Hong’s eyes widened, which Leo must have noticed, since he started laughing. “We had a lot of different opinions about things and our relationship wasn’t really going anywhere. All she wanted to do was have sex, but I wasn’t ready for that yet.”

“Is that why she broke up with you?”

“Nope. She broke up with me because he found out I’m bi and she doesn’t want to date a ‘sinner’ like me,” Leo said, putting air quotes around the word “sinner.”

Guang-Hong didn’t know what to say, so he just shuffled his feet awkwardly while Leo finished getting his books and closed his locker.

“It’s not a big deal though. Anyways, if you don’t have any plans, do you want to go to Desert Ridge with me after school?”

“What’s that?”

“The mall nearby. I can drive you home afterwards, if that would be a problem.”

“Sure! It sounds like fun.”

“Awesome. Meet me here after school, then.” Leo started to walk off to his next class before Guang-Hong stopped him. “What is it?”

“Can you show me where my next class is?”


	2. Chapter 2

After school, Guang-Hong headed to Leo’s locker as fast as he could. He had a lot of textbooks to carry, as he didn’t have a locker yet, so he couldn’t move very fast. By the time he met up with Leo, he was panting.

“Why are you carrying all of your textbooks?”

“They wouldn’t give me a locker until tomorrow, so I’ve had to carry these around all day.”

“Here,” Leo said, while he grabbed a few of Guang-Hong’s textbooks, “I’ll help you out. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Guang-Hong followed Leo to the parking lot.

Leo stopped in front of a blue pickup truck and opened the back door. “Go ahead and put your stuff in the back seat.” Guang-Hong did as he was told, then climbed into the passenger seat.

“So, what grade are you in?” Leo asked once he had pulled out of the parking lot.

“I’m a junior.”

“Cool, I’m a senior.”

“Wait, I thought seniors got out of school early.”

“Some do. Others, like me, choose to take a full day and take extra classes.”

“Why did you choose to take extra classes?”

“I wanted to take more AP classes so I could get more classes out of the way when I go to college. It also looks better that I chose to take a full day and I want to get into a good school.”

“Oh.” Guang-Hong sat quietly before he started talking again. “Were those guys we sat with at lunch also seniors?”

“No, they were juniors and sophomores from my hockey team.”

“You play hockey? That sounds like fun.”

“Yeah. I started the club when I was a freshman. It wasn’t too popular at first, but we were finally able to start playing games against other schools last year. Since then, a lot more people have been saying they want to join. You should join the team, it’s a great way to make friends.”

“Oh, no thanks. I’m not that into sports. I also don’t know anything about hockey.”

“Okay.” They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Leo pulled into the parking lot and parked the car. “We’re here.” The two boys got out of the car and walked towards the mall.

“So, if it’s so hot in Phoenix, how come people like to hang out at a mall that is  _ outdoors _ ?” Guang-Hong asked while fanning his face.

“It’s the only mall that’s nearby. And it’s not that bad, it’s only 95 right now.”

“ _ Only? _ ”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to get up to 120 on Friday.”

“I’m going to die.”

Leo laughed. “Yeah, that’s basically how it goes.”

They walked around for a little bit, ducking into stores every now and then to escape the heat for a little bit. They talked about lots of things, but mostly school. Leo gave Guang-Hong advice on how to deal with certain teachers and how to stay on their good sides. Leo also told him about which kids should be avoided as much as possible. Guang-Hong told Leo about what his life in China was like.

They eventually lost track of time and weren’t paying much attention to their surroundings, until it started to rain a little bit.

“Would you look at that,” Leo said, “it’s raining. We should head back to the car. I’ll take you home.”

“Okay.” They started to walk in the direction of where Leo had parked the car. But, the rain very quickly changed from a sprinkle to a downpour.

Leo ended up grabbing Guang-Hong’s arm and went into a random clothing store. “Maybe we should wait for it to die down a bit,” he said.

Guang-Hong nodded and they walked around the store for about fifteen minutes. “I don’t think it’s going to let up anytime soon.”

“Yeah. Hang on.” Leo walked up to the cashier and said, “You guys don’t happen to sell umbrellas, do you?” The cashier shook her head and Leo went back to where Guang-Hong was standing. “Looks like we’re going to have to make a run for it.” They stood under the overhang by the door and Leo looked at Guang-Hong “Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, let’s go!” Leo grabbed Guang-Hong’s hand and ran as fast as he could in the direction of the car. When they finally made it, they were both dripping wet and out of breath. “That was fun,” Leo said.

Guang-Hong laughed. “I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever been caught in the rain without an umbrella before.”

“I have one in the backseat, but I didn’t know it was supposed to rain today, otherwise I would have brought it with us. What’s your address? I’ll go ahead and drive you home,” Leo said while pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

Guang-Hong pulled out his own phone to look it up, since he didn’t have it memorized yet. He gave Leo his phone and Leo copied the address so he could find directions. Then he added his own phone number to Guang-Hong’s phone. “If you ever need help with something, or even if you’re just bored, you are more than welcome to text or call me,” he said as he gave Guang-Hong his phone back.

“Thanks.” The two were quiet while Leo followed the directions from his phone to get Guang-Hong home.

When they were nearly there, Leo finally broke the silence. “This actually isn’t that far from my house. I’m pretty sure you could walk there from your place.”

“Oh, cool.”

Leo pulled into the driveway and helped Guang-Hong get his stuff out of the back seat and walked him to the door. Leo rang the doorbell, since the door was locked and Guang-Hong couldn’t get to his key.

A girl their age opened the door, saw the two of them, and ran off, leaving the door open. Guang-Hong led a shocked-looking Leo into the kitchen so he could put his stuff down.

“Guang-Hong,” Leo whispered, “you didn’t tell me Candice was your host family.”

“I didn’t think it was important. Why do you look so worried?” They could hear Candice’s obviously fake sobs from across the house.

“Candice is my ex-girlfriend.”

Just then, Candice’s parents walked into the kitchen. “Thanks for driving Guang-Hong home, Leo,” Mrs. Adams said.

“It wasn’t an issue. Sorry for keeping him out so late, we lost track of time and got stuck in the rain for a little bit.”

“That’s alright, I’ll walk you out,” Mr. Adams said with a strained smile on his face.

“Okay. I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Guang-Hong.”

“See you.”


	3. Chapter 3

The second Mrs. Adams heard the front door close, she turned to Guang-Hong and said, “I forbid you from ever hanging out with that boy again.”

“Why? Leo was really nice to me. He was the only person who tried to talk to me today.”

“That boy is a very bad influence and he broke poor Candice’s heart.”

Guang-Hong could still hear Candice fake-crying in the other room. He also heard Mr. Adams trying to get her to calm down. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“He hangs out with kids that do drugs and the only thing on his mind is sex. He tried to have sex with Candice after prom last year, you know. And, he dumped Candice at lunch today after saying he was gay and never loved her.”

“That’s not true!”

“Are you calling my daughter a liar? She was crying so much that I had to pick her up early from school today.”

“I never called her a liar. I’m just saying that I was with Leo all during lunch and I never saw Candice.  _ She _ broke up with  _ him _ by putting a note in his locker. I was there!”

“That’s enough out of you. That boy has already filled your head with lies. Go to your room until it’s time for dinner.”

Guang-Hong did what he was told and organized his school stuff. He also got out the paperwork he needed either Mr. or Mrs. Adams to sign. After that, he decided to text Leo.

**GH:** Hey, Leo. It’s Guang-Hong. Mrs. Adams yelled at me after you left and said I’m not allowed to hang out with you and that you’re a bad influence. I don’t really intend on listening to her, though.

Guang-Hong lay down on his bed and set his phone down next to him. Leo responded a few minutes later.

**L:** sry was driving and I’m not surprised they said the same to Candice after we’d been dating for a while

**GH:** She lied about what happened today. She said you broke up with her and said you were gay and never loved her.

**L:** that bitch! I wonder what else she’s lied to her parents about

**GH:** Well, Mrs. Adams said all you think about is sex and that you hang out with kids who do drugs.

**L:** the second part isn’t really wrong, but a lot of kids @ school do drugs. and Candice once got drunk off her ass at a party so she’s definitely worse than I am I don’t even go to parties like that

**GH:** Really? I never took her as the type to do that sort of thing.

**L:** trust me there’s lots of things she does that you wouldn’t expect her to. did you know that @ prom last year she was supposed to take me home but she started making out with me in her car & stuck her hand down my pants? the only reason she stopped was bc I got out of the car and got a ride home with someone else

**GH:** Mrs. Adams told me the exact opposite of that.

Mrs. Adams walked into Guang-Hong’s room without knocking, causing him to sit up on the bed very fast, dropping his phone in the process. “It’s time for dinner. What were you doing just now?”

“I was checking my email,” he lied. “You startled me.”

“Well, hurry and wash up.” She then walked out and left his door open.

Guang-Hong picked his phone back up really quick to text Leo.

**L:** how am I not surprised

**GH:** I have to go eat dinner. I’ll text you in a little bit.

* * *

The next day at school, Guang-Hong met up with Leo near his locker and compared their schedules. They found that they could walk together to most of their classes, even though they didn’t share any. They also decided that they would eat lunch together when Leo wasn’t busy doing stuff for the GSA.

“Leo, what  _ is _ the GSA?” Guang-Hong asked.

“It stands for Gay-Straight Alliance. It’s basically a club for gay kids and kids who support gay kids to get together in a safe environment.”

“What do you guys do?”

“We mostly just hang out and talk. This year we decided we were going to try and make it more educational. So we’re going to switch between relaxing meetings where we play games and watch videos and educational meetings where we learn about different sexualities and genders and talk about gay history.”

“That sounds like fun.” The bell rang and they started walking to their first class.

“You can join if you’d like, but you’d probably have to keep it a secret from your host family. You can crash the board meeting on Friday if you want. We’re just going to start planning out the year and talk about Club Rush.”  
“What’s Club Rush?”

“During lunch next Wednesday all the clubs on campus are going to go out into the quad and try to get kids to join their club. It’s mostly for freshmen and new students but for smaller clubs, like the GSA, Club Rush is really important for attracting new members.”  
“Oh, okay. I’ll think about it.”

“Alright, cool. No pressure. I’ll see you later.”

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Guang-Hong followed Leo around school. He ate lunch with Leo, walked with him to class, went with him to board meetings, sat in the front at GSA meetings, and even stood next to him during Club Rush handing out fliers. Guang-Hong was also starting to notice people whispering to each other when he walked past them, especially when Leo was with him.

He was thinking about this at lunch when one of Leo’s friends tried to get his attention.

“Hm?”

“I was asking if you wanted to come to our hockey practice tomorrow. It’s Saturday so I don’t know if you’ll be doing anything.”

“Sure, it sounds like fun. I’ll need a ride though.”

“I can take you,” one of the other guys said. “Where do you live?”

“It’s too far out of your way,” Leo said. “I can take him.”

“Alright. I was just offering.”

Everyone got up and started heading to their lockers, since the bell was going to ring soon.

“Hey, Leo?” Guang-Hong asked.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.”

Leo looked puzzled. “Okay. I’ll see you after school.”

“Alright.”

Once Guang-Hong got to class, he felt his phone vibrate in his back pocket. He pulled it out to find a text from Leo.

**L:** I just wanted to let you know that if something is bothering you you can always talk to me. I won’t judge you for anything I just want to make sure you’re ok and you didn’t look ok earlier.

Guang-Hong smiled to himself and texted Leo back before he could get caught having his phone out during class.

**GH:** Thank you. I’ll talk to you about it tomorrow when you pick me up for your practice.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Leo picked Guang-Hong up outside the Adams’ house at 9 A.M. They rode in the car for a while before Leo said, “So, what was bothering you yesterday? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“I’ve just been noticing lately that people whisper to each other when we walk past them and they always give me weird looks in the hall. It’s been bothering me.”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about that. People just like to gossip.”

“What are they gossiping about?”

“Um. Somebody started a rumor that we’re dating.” Leo looked at Guang-Hong and noticed that he looked worried. He continued, “I wouldn’t worry about it though. Give them a week or two and they’ll start talking about something else.”

“Why would they think we’re dating though?”

Leo thought for a moment. “Maybe because we hang out all the time? It’s probably mostly because everyone found out I was bi. Maybe they think that just because I came out that means I suddenly have a boyfriend or something.”

“Oh. Okay.” Guang-Hong felt kind of weird about it, but he didn’t know why. Shouldn’t he be happy that it didn’t mean anything?

They continued in silence until they made it to the ice rink. “We’re here,” Leo said. They got out of the car and headed inside. Guang-Hong looked around once inside. It had been a while since he had been at an ice rink.

“You can sit over there in the bleachers if you want. You can also probably go to the rink next door and skate around if you get bored. Just ask nicely.”

“There are two rinks?”

“Yeah. One is for the public and the other is used for hockey or figure skating practice, depending on the time of day.”

“Cool.” Guang-Hong sat in the bleachers and watched Leo and their other friends practice. Leo looked like he was really good, but, then again, Guang-Hong didn’t really know anything about hockey. He eventually got bored and decided to get up and walk around. He went over to the other rink and watched the people skate around for a while, but that got boring too and he went to the main lobby.

There, he noticed that the front desk had a sign up saying that they were hiring. He went up to the desk and asked for an application.

* * *

After practice, Leo and Guang-Hong walked back to Leo’s car.

“Hey, do you want to come over to my place and hang out? We can watch a movie or something. I just need to take a shower first.”

Guang-Hong thought for a moment before answering. “Yeah, sure. I don’t have to be back until dinner time.”

Leo grinned as he got in the car. “Awesome.”

When they had made it to Leo’s house, Leo led Guang-Hong into a small room with a couch, a TV, and shelves full of movies and video games. “You can hang out in here until I finish my shower. Go ahead and pick out a movie. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Guang-Hong nodded and started to look through the movies. After he had picked one he sat on the couch and messed around on his phone until Leo came back.

When he did, he put the movie Guang-Hong had picked out into the DVD player and sat on the couch next to Guang-Hong.

Guang-Hong couldn’t stop staring at Leo’s hair, which was still damp. It made his face look very different, but he couldn’t figure out why. He suddenly realized that Leo was saying something to him. “What were you saying?”

Leo chuckled a bit. “I said my parents aren’t going to be home until later today. They both had to work late.”

“Oh, okay.” Guang-Hong started to feel nervous suddenly, but he didn’t know why. Was he really feeling nervous at the thought of being all alone with Leo in his house? That shouldn’t make him feel like this. He had been alone with Leo plenty of times before, so why was he getting so anxious all of a sudden?

They sat silently watching the movie for a really long time. With each passing moment, Guang-Hong was feeling more and more on edge. He wasn’t even paying attention to the movie. He was focused too much on the silence throughout the rest of the house and how close Leo was sitting next to him and the way his hair was curling slightly at the ends while it was drying and the way he smiled slightly every time something funny happened in the movie.

Leo broke the silence when they were about half way through the movie by making a really stupid joke about said movie. Guang-Hong laughed and felt some of the anxiety lift away, but definitely not all of it. Had Leo moved away from him? Did he notice all those times Guang-Hong had stolen a glance at him? Was he feeling as uncomfortable as he was? Was it for the same reasons? His nervousness came back as quickly as it had left, but he was definitely feeling more nervous now.

Guang-Hong decided to try and focus on the movie and to try and pretend like Leo wasn’t there. It was nearly over when he suddenly felt something on his shoulder. He looked over, trying his best to not move his arm, to see that Leo was leaning his head on his shoulder. Guang-Hong’s chest tightened and he felt his heart rate pick up. He had no idea his heart could beat this fast. He noticed that Leo was breathing deeper than he normally was, and the realization hit him that Leo had fallen asleep. Leo looked really peaceful when he slept.

When the end credits eventually started to roll, Leo finally woke up. He sat up - slightly to Guang-Hong’s dismay - and stretched a bit. “Sorry, I fell asleep.” He rubbed his eyes and turned to Guang-Hong. “Did you enjoy the movie?”

“Yeah. It was pretty good.” Guang-Hong hadn’t paid attention to any of the movie. He couldn’t focus in the beginning, in the middle he was trying so hard to focus on the movie that he wasn’t actually focusing on the movie, and in the end he found himself staring at Leo as he slept on his shoulder.

“It’s getting close to dinner. I guess I should take you home.”

“Okay.”

They both left the house and got into Leo’s car. After he had been dropped off, Guang-Hong stayed outside for a bit and waved goodbye to Leo as he drove back home. Guang-Hong then went inside, lay down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling. He had only one thought running through his head.

_...I think I’m gay. _


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next week or so, Guang-Hong felt really awkward at school, especially when he was around Leo. He had never felt like this before and he wasn’t entirely sure what was going on with him. All he knew was that whenever he was with Leo his heart rate would pick up, he could feel his stomach fluttering, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

Was this what a crush felt like? Guang-Hong didn’t know. He had always been too focused on school and his family to think about things like that.

It had been two weeks since he had watched the movie with Leo - since he had started being tortured by his own thoughts - when Leo said, “So, I told my parents about you.”

“What?” Guang-Hong felt his heart jump into his throat.

“Yeah, I told them about how you’re staying at my ex’s house and that you came over a few weeks ago.”

“Oh.”  _ It’s not anything to freak out about, _ he told himself. They continued to walk down the hallway. Everyone talked to their parents about their friends, right? So why couldn’t he calm down?

Leo groaned. “God, this is so embarrassing. They asked you to come to dinner tomorrow. They said they wanted to meet you.”

That’s why he couldn’t calm down. “Yeah, sure, sounds good.”

“Cool.” Leo stopped by his locker and looked at Guang-Hong and smiled, but it fell quickly. “Hey, are you okay? You don’t look so good.”

“What? Yeah, I’m fine.” Guang-Hong was panicking.

“Are you sure? You look like you’re coming down with something.”

“I’m fine. But thanks for asking.”  
Leo looked at him for a moment longer before turning to his locker. “Okay. If you say so.”

The bell rang, and Guang-Hong took that as a chance to get himself out of the situation. “I’ll see you later,” he mumbled as he walked to his next class. He tried to take some deep breaths to slow his heart rate back to normal, but it didn’t work. When he made it to class and sat down, he noticed that his hands were shaking.

Was he really freaking out about meeting Leo’s parents? It really wasn’t that big of a deal. There’s always a point where you meet your friend’s parents. He knew he was over exaggerating what was going on, but he couldn’t stop himself. He quite possibly had a crush on Leo and now he was going to meet his parents. His  _ parents _ .

He was not looking forward to dinner tomorrow.

* * *

Leo picked Guang-Hong up from the Adams’s house around 5:30. Meaning, Guang-Hong walked down to the corner of the street for Leo to pick him up so that the Adams didn’t see that they were still hanging out.

Once Guang-Hong got in the car, Leo said, “I just wanted to let you know before we get there that my parents are totally taking this way too seriously. They’re kind of freaking out about it.” He laughed nervously. “If you’re feeling too uncomfortable, just give me a look and I’ll tell them to chill out a bit, okay?”

“Okay,” Guang-Hong said quietly.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this? You look nervous. I can tell them to push it back if you need me to.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine. I’m just freaking out a little bit.” Guang-Hong wasn’t fine. His hands had been shaking slightly since yesterday when Leo told him about the dinner. He barely slept last night because he couldn’t get his heart rate, or his thoughts, to slow down. But, he wanted to get this over with. He hoped that if he finally did this that maybe he could calm down, at least a little bit.

“Alright.”

After what felt like forever, they finally made it to Leo’s house. Leo walked inside first and shouted, “Mamá! He’s here!”

“Coming!” Guang-Hong noticed that she had an accent. She walked into the front room, drying her hands with a towel. “Dinner’s almost done. You came back faster than I thought you would.” She looked at Guang-Hong and her face lit up. “You must be Guang-Hong! I’ve heard so much about you. I’m so glad to finally meet you.”

“Mamá.” Leo sounded embarrassed. Guang-Hong had never heard him sound like that before.

Guang-Hong felt himself blush. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

She smiled at him. “Go ahead and sit at the table. I’ll bring the food in a moment.”

Guang-Hong followed Leo to the table and sat down next to him. They sat in awkward silence until Leo’s mom came and put the food on the table. She suddenly started yelling in Spanish.

Leo leaned over to Guang-Hong and whispered, “She’s telling my dad to come to dinner.”

Guang-Hong nodded. His chest kind of hurt and he felt very uncomfortable.

Eventually, Leo’s dad walked in and he and his wife sat down at the table. They all started to eat in silence until Leo’s dad said, “So, Guang-Hong, what made you decide to come to America?”

“Um. My mom grew up in California and that’s where my grandparents live. I had only ever visited them a few times and I wanted to learn more about the culture, I guess.”

Leo’s dad nodded and they kept eating. Leo’s mom decided to try and keep the conversation going by asking Guang-Hong questions about himself. Slowly but surely, Guang-Hong was feeling more comfortable. By the time they had finished eating, Guang-Hong felt more at home at Leo’s house than he did at the Adams’.

“Where’s the bathroom?” Guang-Hong asked.

“Oh, it’s in the hall first on the left,” Leo responded.

Guang-Hong got up and went. While he was there he overheard Leo’s mom through the wall. “He’s really cute.”

Guang-Hong then heard Leo quietly yelling at her in Spanish. When Guang-Hong came back, Leo said to him, “Hey, it’s getting kind of late. I should get you home before the Adams get mad and yell at you again.”

“You can take him home in just a moment. I want to talk to Guang-Hong in the kitchen for a moment,” Leo’s mom said. Guang-Hong followed her into the kitchen. She turned to him and said, “I know what it’s like to be a foreigner in this country and I know that the family you’re staying with isn’t very nice. I want to give you my phone number so you can call me if you ever have a problem. It doesn’t matter what time it is; I will try to answer. Okay?”

Guang-Hong nodded and gave her his phone. When she was done, they went back to the kitchen and he and Leo walked out to the car. On the way back to the Adams’ house, Guang-Hong said, “You’re mom is really nice.”

“Yeah, she is. She can be scary though.”

Guang-Hong chuckled, remembering when she had yelled at his dad earlier. “Yeah.”

Leo dropped Guang-Hong off on the corner and said, “I’ll see you at school.”

“See you.” Leo drove off and Guang-Hong walked back on his own. He felt better than he had in weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

Guang-Hong had been feeling better about his friendship with Leo since he had dinner with Leo’s parents. Guang-Hong had gone back to the way he had felt before the movie incident. But now, he felt much happier.

Today was the first game of the hockey season. Guang-Hong was both excited and nervous. He had never been to a hockey game before, and he didn’t really know how the sport worked, but he really wanted Leo and his team to win.

The Adams were gone for the day, so Leo came to pick him up directly from the house. The two talked the entire way to the ice rink. They mostly talked about school, but they also talked about the upcoming game. Guang-Hong could barely keep his eyes open not because he was bored, but because he had gotten up so early to get ready. Since Leo was on the team, he had to get there early.

Guang-Hong sat on the far end of the bleachers from the door. He had overheard Candice saying that she was going to the game and he didn’t want to risk her knowing that he had come too and telling her parents about it. He was the only one there for a while, but soon other people started showing up. It was mostly high school students, but none that Guang-Hong recognized. He didn’t mind. He would rather try and pay attention to what was happening in the game than focusing on what someone else was saying.

Eventually, the two teams went onto the ice to start warming up. At one point, Leo skated over to the side of the rink where Guang-Hong was sitting. They chatted for a bit and Guang-Hong wished him luck before Leo skated off again to rejoin the team.

Guang-Hong was really excited to watch his first hockey game, and he couldn’t stop himself from smiling.

The game started and Guang-Hong tried his best to keep his eye on the puck and watch Leo at the same time. It was difficult. The puck moved very fast around the rink and Leo wasn’t always near it. Guang-Hong was so focused that when the buzzer went off to announce half-time he nearly jumped out of his seat. Leo’s team was losing two to one, but they still had half a game left, so Guang-Hong wasn’t worried.

When the zamboni came out to smooth the ice, Guang-Hong’s phone buzzed. It was a message from Leo.

 **L:** this game is so stressful!

 **GH:** You’ll be fine. I’m cheering for you.

Guang-Hong and Leo looked up at the same time and made eye contact. They smiled at each other before Leo buried his head back in his phone.

 **L:** that’s good to know :) I have to go now I’ll see you after the game

Guang-Hong looked up and waited until Leo looked back at him before giving him a thumbs-up.

This half, Guang-Hong focused mostly on the puck, since Leo didn’t start out on the ice. After about five minutes, he heard a really loud thump and the referee blew his whistle. Guang-Hong looked around, trying to see what had happened. That’s when he saw Leo lying on the ice and a member of the other team getting yelled at by one of the refs. Another ref was trying to help Leo but he wasn’t moving.

Guang-Hong got up and walked around to where he could talk to the coach about what was going on. When he was trying to get out of the bleachers, he heard what sounded like Candice’s voice saying, “He deserved it for dumping me.”

The coach refused to talk to him at first, but, when he saw how distressed he was, he told him that they were probably going to take Leo to the hospital. The guy on the other team had shoved him into the wall and he had hit his head. They thought he might have a concussion.

Guang-Hong thanked the coach and went into the lobby. He paced for a little bit, trying to decide what to do. He was freaking out. His heart was pounding in his chest and he couldn’t get it to calm down. He ended up pulling out his phone and calling Leo’s mom.

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry to bother you I know you’re at work but I’m at the game and Leo got hurt and they’re taking him to the hospital and they think he might have a concussion and I don’t know what to do I didn’t know who else I should call.”

“Okay. I’m leaving right now. Just take some deep breaths I’m coming to get you. I’ll see you in a bit. Bye.”

“Bye.” Guang-Hong was shaking now. He went into the corner and tried to focus on taking deep breaths.

After what felt like an eternity, Leo’s mom walked into the lobby and motioned for Guang-Hong to come over to where she was. She told him to go out to Leo’s car and that she would be back in a bit. When she did come back, she was carrying Leo’s bag. She dug around until she found his key and they got in the car and started driving.

“How are you so calm right now?” Guang-Hong asked.

“I’m not. I’m just as scared as you right now. I just try to tell myself that he’s going to be okay.”

Guang-Hong nodded and they sat quietly for a few minutes. “Where are we going?”

“The hospital. Leo’s dad dropped me off at the rink before heading over there.”

“Oh.” Guang-Hong’s chest hurt. She had said that she tries to tell herself that he’s going to be okay, but what if he doesn’t? What will happen if Leo _doesn’t_ end up being okay?

When they got to the hospital, Guang-Hong followed Leo’s mom over to where Leo’s dad was waiting.

“Did the doctor say anything?”

“Not yet. The nurse said she’d be done soon though.”

Leo’s mom nodded and sat down. Guang-Hong chose to sit next to her while Leo’s dad paced in front of them. After about ten minutes, a doctor came up to them and asked if they were Leo’s family. Leo’s dad nodded.

“Leo didn’t have a concussion, as far as we know. We assume he just passed out after hitting his head. He’s awake right now, but we’d like to keep him here until the end of the day just to make sure there’s no complications,” she said.

“Thank God,” Leo’s mom said.

“If you’d like, you can go in and talk to him for a bit.”

Leo’s parents nodded and the doctor walked us over to Leo’s room. Before Guang-Hong could walk in, the doctor stopped him and said, “I’m sorry but it’s family only right now.”

“Guang is practically family. Leo would be very happy to see him,” Leo’s mom said, putting her hand on Guang-Hong’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, but it’s policy. We can’t let him in until the end of the day.”

Leo’s mom turned to Guang-Hong. “I’m sorry. If you want I can take you back home after I talk to him. I’ll be quick. I promise.”

Guang-Hong nodded and headed back to the waiting room. He could feel tears stinging at his eyes, but he refused to cry. It was fine. He would come back to see Leo tonight. And now Leo had his phone, so Guang-Hong could text him all afternoon until he could come and visit.

Leo’s mom came back and walked Guang-Hong out to the car. While she was driving him home, she tried to apologize again that he couldn’t go to see Leo.

“It’s fine. I can go see him later.”

“I still feel bad though. You were the one that watched it happen and you couldn’t even go to talk to him.”

Guang-Hong shrugged. “It’s okay.”

When Leo’s mom dropped Guang-Hong off at the Adams’ house, he turned and waved goodbye before heading inside. When he did, he saw Candice’s parents sitting at the table with very sour looks on their faces.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some homophobia in this chapter, as well as several uses of the f slur.

“Sit down, young man,” Mr. Adams said. Guang-Hong did as he was told before Mr. Adams continued, “Would you like to tell us where you’ve been?”

“I went to the hockey game,” Guang-Hong said.

“With that boy!” Mrs. Adams shouted. “I told you specifically to stay away from him! He is a bad influence and isn’t someone to be trusted with anything.”

“He’s not a bad influence! He’s a great person and he’s the only person at school who’s been nice to me! I enjoy hanging out with him and it’s not up to you who my friends are or who I choose to spend time with.”

“You do not talk back to her that way!” Mr. Adams said. “You will respect us or we’ll have to call the exchange program and say that we can’t take care of you anymore.”

Guang-Hong got up and went into his room. He knew that they would never call the exchange program. It would put a stain on their reputation if they did. It was nothing more than an empty threat. He took out his phone and sent a text to Leo.

**GH:** How are you feeling? I wanted to come in and see you but they wouldn’t let me in.

He messed around on his phone for a little while and checked Instagram. When that got boring, he pulled out his laptop and worked on some homework for about five minutes before opening Instagram again, this time on his laptop. He checked his phone every few minutes, waiting to get a text from Leo, but it never came.

Eventually, Mrs. Adams came in and told him that dinner was ready.

“I’m not hungry,” he lied. He just really didn’t feel like sitting at the table and have to deal with them for an hour.

After she closed the door, he pulled out a bag of chips that he had stashed under his bed and continued to scroll through Instagram. Eventually, it reached midnight and he still hadn’t gotten a text back from Leo. He decided to try and sleep, but he stayed awake in bed staring at the ceiling until 4am before finally falling asleep.

Guang-Hong woke up at 11am when his phone buzzed in his hand. Leo had finally texted him back.

**L:** hey sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond I didn’t get my phone back until after I had gotten home and I was so exhausted that I fell asleep right away

**L:** you can come over right now if you want and we can hang out

Guang-Hong rolled out of bed, threw some clothes and sneakers on, and headed out the door. He texted Leo back.

**GH:** I am on my way.

When he made it to Leo’s house, he was a little sweaty from the walk, but he didn’t care. He really needed to see for himself that Leo was okay.

Leo’s mom let him into the house with a smile when she opened the door. She led Guang-Hong to Leo’s room and said, “Just try not to talk to loud his head still hurts.”

Guang-Hong nodded before heading into Leo’s room and closing the door softly behind him.

Leo was sitting up in bed on his laptop. When he saw Guang-Hong standing by the door, he smiled and closed his laptop. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Better than I was yesterday, but my head is still pounding. I don’t have a concussion though so that’s good.”

Guang-Hong sat on the bed next to Leo, taking his shoes up before propping his feet up. “What even happened? I looked away for a moment and the next thing I knew you were face-down on the ice.”

“Well,” he started. He shifted his position on the bed. “Apparently, the other team had heard the rumors about me being bi. Some of them didn’t really like it. Almost the moment I stepped out onto the ice the second half, the biggest guy on the other team came up behind me, called me a fag, and slammed me into the wall. That’s the last thing I remember before I woke up when they were putting me on the stretcher.”

Guang-Hong stared ahead of him for a bit, unsure of what to say. Finally, he decided to say, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. Arizona is kind of a shitty place. Not everyone is as accepting of others around here. It probably doesn’t help that I’m half Mexican.”

“It’s not fine,” Guang-Hong blurted. He could feel his eyes stinging as he continued, “It’s my fault people even know that you’re bi in the first place. The first day of school you showed up and stopped those guys from teasing me, but you came out in the process.”

“Stop, it’s not your fault. I wasn’t even hiding it anyways. I just didn’t really explicitly talk about it with many people because it wasn’t important. Everyone was going to find out eventually one way or another. If I had a chance to go back I wouldn’t change anything that had happened, because otherwise we wouldn’t have become such good friends. Guang, I’m glad that I have you.”

Guang-Hong wiped at his eyes before saying, “Do you mean that?”

“Of course I do.” Leo smiled at him and opened his laptop. “Let’s watch a movie, yeah?”

“Okay.”

* * *

The next day, Leo and Guang-Hong were walking toward Leo’s locker together like they did every morning when they ran into Thomas and Candice. Candice was clinging to Thomas’s arm.

Thomas purposely slammed his shoulder into Leo, then turned around and said, “Watch where you’re going, fag!” He and Candice continued walking down the hallway, but now they were laughing.

Guang-Hong saw Leo’s face fall. Guang-Hong turned to Thomas and shouted at his retreating back, “Don’t call him that!” Everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing and stared at Guang-Hong.


	8. Chapter 8

Thomas stopped in his tracks and walked back to where Leo and Guang-Hong were standing, leaving Candice behind. “What did you say?” he asked.

“I said don’t call him that,” Guang-Hong responded quietly. He was starting to regret his decision to call Thomas out like that. Thomas was at least two heads taller than him.

“And why shouldn’t I? It’s not like  _ you’re  _ going to do anything about it.”

“You shouldn’t because it’s offensive and it’s rude.” Guang-Hong looked around and saw that everyone was still staring at them. Some people had taken out their phones, likely to catch the whole thing on video in case it turned into a fight. “You treat everyone like garbage and you think that makes you better than everyone else.”

Guang-Hong’s voice was getting stronger as he spoke. He felt more confident about what he was doing. He only hoped that Thomas wouldn’t try to fight him. “Even when I first met you a few months ago you were ignorant of other people’s feelings and of other cultures! You praised me for being able to speak English so well despite being from another country, and yet you and your friends started to mock me for not understanding something you had said!”

Guang-Hong was getting angry. He took a step closer to Thomas and continued. “I didn’t understand that you were talking about having sex with some girl because I had never heard it said that way until you had said it. So, you assumed I was gay and threw that word in my face like it was something disgusting. Like it was an insult and something to be ashamed of. As you found out on the day that we met, one out of every ten people are gay. It was more than just Leo who heard you when you said that. It affected more than just Leo. It affected gay people who were nearby and overheard you say it. It affected straight people who heard it, and now they might think that it’s okay and that it’s acceptable for them to use that word when it’s not. And you’re right. There’s nothing I can do about it besides what I just did. But I really hope that you don’t do anything like that again.”

Guang-Hong started walking away and grabbed Leo’s arm to make sure he followed him. They kept walking like that until they made it to Leo’s locker.

Leo started to open his locker and said, “Dude, I can’t believe you just did that.”

“Did what?”

“You stood up for me. You stood up against  _ Thomas _ .”

“You did that too, remember? That was how we met.”

“I know that, but I’ve known Thomas since elementary school. We used to be on the same soccer team. Our parents are still somewhat good friends. That’s the only reason I was able to stand up to him. No one else ever has before.”

“Well, what’s he even going to do about it? I’m not afraid of him.” Leo gave Guang-Hong a look. “Okay, maybe I’m a little afraid of him. But he doesn’t need to know that. He just needs to think that I’m not, right?”

“I guess. Just try not to walk by yourself anywhere for the next few weeks, okay? I’d hate if something happened to you because of me.”

“Even if he does, it wouldn’t be your fault. I chose to stand up for you. I didn’t have to. I could’ve just let him keep walking. I put myself in this situation, so don’t blame yourself for it.”

“Alright.” Leo closed his locker and leaned against it. “Hey, we should go eat lunch in the GSA room today.”

“Okay.” Guang-Hong knew that Leo just wanted to have lunch there so that Thomas wouldn’t try anything. They’d probably end up having lunch there together for a while, but Guang-Hong didn’t mind.

The bell rang and Leo walked Guang-Hong to class.

* * *

After his first class, Guang-Hong usually walked to his next one alone, since Leo had a class on the other side of campus. Today, though, when he left his classroom he heard a familiar voice asking him to wait.

Guang-Hong turned around to see one of Leo’s teammates jogging towards him. “Hey, man. Leo told me about what happened. I can’t believe you actually had the balls to do that.”

“Yeah, me neither. I have to go to class right now, but I’ll tell you all about it later.”

“You can tell me right now. We head the same way for class.”

Guang-Hong started walking to class. “Leo asked you to walk me to class, didn’t he?”

“No, I just felt like talking to you.” Guang-Hong gave him the same look Leo had given him earlier that day. “Alright, yeah, he asked me to walk you. He’s just worried about you. We all are. He didn’t want me to tell you because he thought you wouldn’t like the idea.”

“I don’t mind that he asked you to walk me to class. I just wish that he wouldn’t think it was necessary to hide it from me.”

“He didn’t want you to disagree with him. You don’t know Thomas like we do. He’s not really the type to let things go, especially when you called him out like that in front of everyone. Practically the whole school knows by now.”

“How? It’s only been an hour since it happened.”

“At least twenty people recorded it and put it on Twitter. At least another thirty saw it happen and have been telling their friends. I’m pretty sure the only people who don’t know at this point are the kids who didn’t show up today.”

They made it to Guang-Hong’s class and Leo’s teammate was about to turn around and head to his class. He stopped, though, and said to Guang-Hong, “Just so you know, practically the whole team is in on it. Just don’t leave the classroom too quickly so someone can come and get you.”

“Really?”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s just for this week. By next Monday, he should’ve gotten over it. Mostly, at least.” He waved and started walking down the hall.

After class, Guang-Hong packed up a lot more slowly. When he left his class, two more of Leo’s teammates were standing there waiting for him. This time, though, they didn’t talk to each other as much. Guang-Hong noticed that people were staring at him and whispering when he passed by. It didn’t bother him much, though. He had gotten used to people gossipping about him whenever he was around. And now he at least knew what they were saying about him, or at least had an idea.

The next week of school was going to be hell.


	9. Chapter 9

Guang-Hong was glad when he finally made it to the lunch hour. It was exhausting trying to talk with Leo’s friends - who he didn’t know very well in the first place - while dodging around the topic of why they were walking with him.

Guang-Hong walked out of his fourth period class a few minutes after the bell to find Leo waiting for him. They headed to the GSA room while Leo talked about his day. Guang-Hong noticed that Leo was really nervous and kept looking around them, never looking at one point for too long before looking somewhere else.

“Leo, nothing is going to happen,” Guang-Hong said.

“You don’t know that,” Leo replied, still looking around. “Thomas is sneaky and he’s going to wait until we let our guard down before he does anything. I’ve seen it happen before.”

They kept walking and Leo wasn’t able to calm down until they made it into the GSA room and the door closed behind them. Ms. Myers, the teacher in charge of the club, was sitting at her desk grading papers. She only looked up briefly to say hi to them as they walked in.

Ms. Myers was the kind of teacher that acted more like a friend than a teacher. She was very relaxed and only wanted the best for her students. Guang-Hong had never really talked to her much before, but she seemed nice enough.

Leo and Guang-Hong continued to talk about random things throughout the lunch period. When there was only a few minutes left, Leo started packing up his things and told Guang-Hong that he would walk him to his next class.

“Leo, I can go by myself. Your next class is on the other side of campus.”

“I know, that’s why I’m walking you over there now. Then I’ll have enough time to make it to my class after dropping you off.”

“Leo, I’d like to talk to Guang-Hong alone for a moment, if you don’t mind,” Ms. Myers said.

Leo looked between Guang-Hong and Ms. Myers briefly before saying, “Yeah, sure. I’ll be waiting out in the hall.”

Guang-Hong went up to Ms. Myers’s desk and sat down in the chair in front of it. 

“I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you and the way you stood up to Thomas this morning. It was very brave of you and you said all of the right things.”

Guang-Hong nodded and said, “Okay. Was there something else you wanted to tell me?”

Ms. Myers leaned forward on her elbows before continuing. “I know that it’s a little frustrating how protective of you Leo is being. But, I want you to know that he has very good reason to be so worried.”

“What do you mean?”

“Two years ago, someone else stood up to Thomas. He had been bullying this one girl since the beginning of the semester. Calling her names, leaving notes in her locker, spreading rumors, anything you can think of. One day, he called her a name when she was hanging out with her friends at lunch. A boy named Austin got up and started yelling at Thomas. He told him to leave the girl alone. After school, Thomas and his friends jumped Austin on his way home. They put him in the hospital. Austin had to change schools after just to get away from him after that.”

“Why didn’t the school do anything? Or the police?”

“They claimed they couldn’t prove that he and his friends were the ones who did it. So, Thomas never got into any trouble. No one has ever dared to stand up to him again. They’ve been afraid that the same thing would happen to them. I won’t let that happen again though. If Thomas does anything, he won’t be getting away with it. I promise you.”

“Thank you for telling me.”

“Of course. Please know that if you ever want to talk to me about anything, you’re more than welcome to, alright?”

“Okay. Thanks.” Guang-Hong grabbed his bag and went out into the hall. He saw Leo leaning up against the lockers, texting on his phone. Guang-Hong went up to him and shoved his shoulder lightly. “Are you coming? We have to get to class.”

Leo smiled and put his phone away while they headed over to Guang-Hong’s class.


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the week passed by without incident. The worst of it was whenever Guang-Hong was in fourth period and he could feel Thomas glaring at the back of his head. Other than that, Thomas seemed to be avoiding him and Leo.

Leo and Guang-Hong both breathed a sigh of relief when they made it into Leo’s car after their last period class on Friday. Half the hockey team had walked with them, just like they had the rest of the week.

“I think as long as we make it to winter break, we’ll be fine. Thomas should give up by then,” Leo said.

“When is winter break?”

“A few weeks from now. God, I can’t wait for the semester to be over.” Leo started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

“What are your plans for winter break?”

“We’re just staying here. My family from Mexico is coming to stay with us for Christmas. You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

“I would but I’m going to California to spend it with my grandparents.”

“Man, I wish we would go to California. I love the beach.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I like to sit and watch everyone play in the ocean. I also like to look for shells.”

“Oh. I’ve only been to the beach a few times. We don’t go very often.”

“That’s a shame.”

They kept talking about their respective days until they arrived at the Adams’ house. Leo had stopped dropping him off at the corner after Guang-Hong’s fight with the Adams.

“Do you want to see the game tomorrow? I can pick you up. I’m not allowed to play yet, but Coach said we could both sit with the rest of the team,” Leo said.

“Yeah, sure. Just let me know what time you’ll be picking me up.”

“Okay. See you tomorrow.” Leo had a big grin on his face as he drove away. Guang-Hong waited outside on the sidewalk until Leo’s car went around the corner and he could no longer see it.

When he walked into the house, he could hear Candice in the other room talking with someone, but he wasn’t sure who. Curious, he poked his head in just to see who it was. When he saw Candice sitting on the sofa cuddled into Thomas, he quickly retreated to his room. He paced for a moment, with his backpack still on, and decided to grab a water bottle from the fridge and head to Leo’s house.

He managed to make it outside and he was pretty sure that neither of them had noticed he had come home. He quickly walked in the direction of Leo’s house. While he did so, he pulled out his phone and called Leo.

Leo picked up on the third ring. “Miss me already? What’s up?”

“Thomas was there with Candice. I’m walking to your house now.”

“I’ll come get you. Just give me a second.”

“It’s fine. I’m halfway there already. I just figured you should know that I’m coming. I also wanted to call in case something  _ did _ happen so someone knew where I was.”

“Okay.”

It was hard to find something to talk about when they had just been together all day, but they made it work. Guang-Hong was relieved when he made it to Leo’s house safely. Leo walked Guang-Hong to his room and sat on the bed.

“So, what do you want to do?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I usually do homework after I get home.”

“Okay, let’s do that. You can use my desk.”

They sat mostly quietly for an hour or so while they both did their homework. Then, Leo’s mom knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Leo responded.

Leo’s mom opened the door and took a few steps in the room before stopping. She and Leo exchanged a few words in Spanish before she looked to the side and saw Guang-Hong sitting at Leo’s desk.

“Oh! I didn’t know you were here, Guang. Can I get you anything?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine right now.”

“Okay, let me know if you change your mind.” She said a few more things to Leo in Spanish before leaving and closing the door.

“What did you guys talk about?”

Leo’s face got a little red and he started toying with the sheets. “She asked me how school was and if I had started my homework yet.”

“Oh, okay.” They both worked on homework again for a few minutes before Guang-Hong put his pencil down and looked at Leo again. “You know, Mrs. Adams doesn’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“What your mom just did. She usually just opens the door without knocking and leaves it open when she leaves. I thought that was just the way people do things in America.”

“Not really. Some parents do that, but my parents both understand that I need a little space and some privacy at times. So they always close my door and knock before coming in.”

“Oh.”

They sat quietly for a moment, both of them not really looking at each other.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?”

“Sure.”

Leo straightened his back and shouted, “Mamá! Guang is staying for dinner!”

After a few moments, Guang-Hong could hear Leo’s mom shout back in Spanish.

“What’d she say?”

Leo smiled at him. “‘Thank God.’”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I didn't have access to a computer last week and so I wasn't able to update or write the chapter until today. Chapter 12 will still be posted this coming Sunday, as usual. Enjoy the chapter!

After dinner, Leo drove Guang-Hong back to the Adams’ house. Guang-Hong was about to get out of the car when Leo stopped him.

“I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second.”

“Sure. What’s up?” Guang-Hong asked. He figured it probably had something to do with what was going on with Thomas.

Leo scratched the back of his head and looked out of the windshield. “It’s just...we’ve been friends for a while now and I was wondering if you wanted to go ice skating on Sunday with me.”

“Yeah, sure.” Guang-Hong looked at Leo for a little bit. He looked really nervous. “Are you okay?”

“Well, I, uh...I wanted it to be a date.” Leo finally looked at Guang-Hong. When he saw the shocked look on his face, he hurriedly said, “If you don’t want to that’s fine! We can just be friends I’m fine with that.”

“No.” Now Guang-Hong was the one looking away. “I’d like to go on a date with you.”

Leo brightened up and said, “Okay! I’ll text you tomorrow with the details.”

“Okay. Thanks again for dinner. And the ride.”

“Anytime.”

Guang-Hong got out of the car and headed inside to his room. He shut the door behind him and flopped on the bed. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He still wasn’t really sure how he felt about Leo, but, right now, he felt happier than he ever had before.

* * *

Sunday rolled around and Guang-Hong could not calm down. As it got closer and closer to the time when Leo was supposed to pick him up, Guang-Hong’s heart beat faster and faster. He resorted to pacing around his room to try and calm down. When his phone finally vibrated in his hand with Leo’s “I’m here” text, he practically ran to the front door.

In the car, Guang-Hong kept fiddling with his phone.

“You look nervous,” Leo said. Guang-Hong didn’t know how to respond, but he didn’t have to. Leo chuckled and said, “It’s okay. I’m nervous too.”

They sat quietly for a few more moments before Guang-Hong said, “I’ve never been on a date before.”

“I’ve never been on a date with a boy before. We’re both doing something new right now.”

They got to the ice rink and were putting on their skates when Leo looked at Guang-Hong and said, “I just realized I never asked if you’ve been skating before.”

Guang-Hong laughed. “I’ve been skating before. I used to figure skate, but I stopped when I got to high school because I didn’t have the time for it anymore.”

“Wait, really.”

“Yeah. I was pretty good too.”

“Oh.”

They skated around the rink for a while, talking about a lot of random things. After about an hour, they had to get off the ice so the zamboni could smooth it out. They were standing outside the rink, still talking, when someone bumped into Guang-Hong and he fell over.

“Guang, are you okay?” Leo asked as he held his hand out to help Guang-Hong up off the ground.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He looked behind him to see who had knocked into him, then quickly turned back to look at Leo. “I think that was Thomas. I think he’s here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not really. It kind of looked like it might be him.”

“Well, we’re in public right now. I doubt he would try anything too extreme right now. Let’s just have fun right now and we can worry about him later, okay?”

Guang-Hong nodded and they both went back onto the ice. Guang-Hong tried to forget about Thomas for a while, but he found it difficult. What if Leo was wrong and Thomas _did_ try to do something while they were here?

“You look worried,” Leo said.

“I am worried. I’m scared that he’s going to do something. I definitely saw him just a moment ago sitting in the bleachers.”

Leo thought for a moment before grabbing Guang-Hong’s hand and leading him to the middle of the rink.

“What are you doing, Leo?”

“I’m trying to take your mind of things for a while. Why don’t you teach me some of those figure skating moves I know you’re hiding from me? Then, we can get off the ice early and head out to the car when everyone else starts leaving. Okay?”

Guang-Hong nodded and started trying to teach Leo how to do some of the easier parts of figure skating. Over the next hour, they both quickly forgot about Thomas as Leo attempted to figure skate and Guang-Hong laughed at how terrible he was.

“Are you even trying? That’s horrible.”

Leo gave Guang-Hong a wide smile and said, “To be fair, I’ve never done this before. I think I’m allowed to be bad.” He looked up at the clock really quick and said, “We should probably take off our skates and get ready to go.”

“All right.”

They got off the ice, returned their skates, grabbed their bags, and waited on the opposite side of the rink from where Thomas was sitting. Leo wouldn’t take his eyes off the clock and the moment the buzzer went off to tell everyone to get off the ice, he grabbed Guang-Hong’s hand and dragged him towards the door. He didn’t let go or slow down until they got to Leo’s car.

As Leo started to drive them out of the parking lot, he said, “If you want, you can come over to my place for a while and we can play video games or something. And I’m sure my mom would love to have you over for dinner again.”

“Sure, that sounds like fun.”

* * *

Guang-Hong had been feeling warm and fuzzy inside ever since his date with Leo the day before. He was very happy when Leo showed up to drive him to school that morning. He had missed being with Leo.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Leo smiled and drove away from the Adams’ house. They sat in a comfortable silence the whole way to school.

Leo parked the car and they were about to walk through the gate when Leo held

Guang-Hong’s hand. Guang-Hong stopped.

“Is this okay?” Leo asked, quietly. “It’s fine if it’s not.”

“It’s okay.” They both smiled at each other and walked into school like that, holding hands and both feeling happier than either of them had in a while.


	12. Chapter 12

The next few weeks, Leo and Guang-Hong spent every moment they could together. When they were walking around school, they would hold hands, and at lunch they always sat right next to each other. They once even shared a chair when their table didn’t have enough seats. Guang-Hong would go to Leo’s house after school and they would do homework together. On Fridays, he would stay for dinner, and on the weekends, he and Leo would go to the mall or the ice rink or the movies. Or, sometimes they would just stay at Leo’s house and watch movies or play video games.

They still hadn’t kissed yet, but Guang-Hong was kind of okay with that. It wasn’t that he didn’t  _ want _ to kiss Leo, he was just scared to. He had never kissed anyone before and he knew it was ridiculous, but he was afraid he would do it wrong somehow. And, if he was being honest with himself, he was still a little bit confused about his feelings towards Leo. He wasn’t entirely sure if he actually liked Leo the way he thought he did, but he did his best to ignore those thoughts. He was happy being with Leo, and that was all that mattered.

It was Dead Week at school, the week where the teachers didn’t give them any new material and everyone was studying endlessly for their finals. Leo and Guang-Hong were both just as stressed as everyone else at school. Leo almost more so.

“I have to get a 94% on my calc final to get an A. I am so screwed. Rest in peace, my perfect GPA.” They were sitting at lunch with the rest of the hockey team, which they had started doing again after the week of the Thomas Incident. Thomas had seemed to mostly gotten over what had happened and they appeared to be in the clear for now.

“I could help you study. I took calc in China and I still remember most of the material.”

“If you did, and I actually managed to get a 94, I would love you forever.”

“PDA alert,” Nick, one of Leo’s teammates, said. The rest of the table laughed as Leo started to blush.

It still amazed Guang-Hong how accepting the whole team was of him and Leo. They all had helped out during the week of the Thomas Incident. Nick was actually the one who had convinced the whole team to make sure nothing happened. He was also the first one to walk Guang-Hong to his next class that Monday.

“We should probably get going, the bell’s going to go off soon,” Leo said. He and Guang-Hong got up and walked over to Leo’s locker.

Leo was rummaging inside, looking for his books for his next class, as he said, “I’m really not looking forward to the break for once in my life.”

“Why not?” Guang-Hong was leaning against the locker next to Leo’s and waiting for him to finish up.

Leo chuckled. “Because you’re going to be gone, silly. I’m gonna miss you.”

Guang-Hong laughed. “It’s only for a few weeks, and I’ll still be in the country so we can still text and Facetime every day.”

“All right.” The bell rang and Leo gave Guang-Hong a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you after school.” Then, he walked away, quickly.

Guang-Hong could feel his face turning red as he walked to class. Leo had never done that before and it had caught him off guard.

For the rest of the day, Guang-Hong couldn’t focus on anything. He kept thinking about how Leo had kissed him on the cheek. When the final bell rang, he nervously walked over to Leo’s car and saw that Leo was already there waiting for him.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” Guang-Hong didn’t know why, but he couldn’t look at Leo. Everytime he did, he felt the blush coming back.

They both got in the car and as Leo was navigating his way out of the busy parking lot, he said, “Guang, are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Okay.” They sat quietly for a few moments before Leo said, “I’m sorry for catching you by surprise like that after lunch. I didn’t really mean to. I barely even thought about it before I did it.”

“You don’t have to apologize. It’s fine,” Guang-Hong said. Then he added, a bit more quietly, “I kind of liked it.” He sneaked a peak at Leo to see that he was smiling.

“I’m glad.” And, just like that, the awkward atmosphere that Guang-Hong had felt since he had met up with Leo at the car faded away.

They talked in the car about Leo’s horrendous history teacher and Guang-Hong told Leo a funny story about something that had happened in English that day. It was nice. Guang-Hong enjoyed being able to just talk with Leo like this. He enjoyed being able to talk about nothing and everything all at the same time.

They were in Leo’s room later that day doing homework when Leo brought up winter break again. “Guang, when are you leaving for California?”

“Thursday night.” Guang-Hong put down his pen and stretched while he talked to Leo. “My flight leaves at six.”

“Oh.”

“Why?”

Leo rubbed his neck and said, “I kind of wanted to have dinner with you one last time before you left.”

“We could have lunch together. I kind of figured we’d end up doing that anyways.”

“I guess.” Leo sounded kind of defeated, but Guang-Hong didn’t know how to cheer him up. “Hey, can you help me with this calc problem? It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Yeah, sure.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon studying for their finals before Leo brought Guang-Hong home and drove back home. Neither of them were looking forward to next week.


	13. Chapter 13

Guang left for California last night and Leo was feeling lonely. He was running around the house helping his mom clean up. Her family was coming over later that night and would be with them until after New Year’s. Leo didn’t see his Mexican family very often, so he was very nervous. He wished that Guang was here; he would feel a lot better if he was. They texted each other all the time, but it wasn’t the same as seeing him in person.

After spending many hours cleaning the house from top to bottom, Leo and his mom flopped onto the couch together to take a break.

“Leo, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but I don’t want you to tell your grandparents that you’re bi. They wouldn’t handle it well.”

Leo felt uncomfortable suddenly, and his mom must have noticed because she continued to talk about it, trying to reassure him. “I love you, Leo, and I love every aspect of you, but it’s because of that that I don’t want you to tell our family that you’re bi. At least, not yet. They’re fairly old-fashioned and I don’t want them to make a big deal out of it, which I know they’ll end up doing. Okay?”

“Okay. I understand.”

They say there for a moment longer until she said, “We should get back to work. There’s still a lot to do.”

“Yeah.”

* * *

Leo’s family had been at his house for a week and he felt like he was suffocating. His grandfather was disappointed that he and Candice had broke up, saying that she was a “good Christian girl,” which is probably the most ridiculous thing Leo had ever heard anyone say about her.

It was hard to keep his being bi a secret. He had to dodge around the topic when he told everyone about his concussion, and he avoided any and all talk about Guang. Leo knew that if he started talking about him, he would let something slip about their relationship, how they had met, everything.

It was the day before Christmas Eve and they were at the kitchen table having dinner when Leo’s grandfather asked if Leo had made any new friends at school that year.

“Um, a couple. But I don’t talk to them very much, except for when we’re in class or something like that.”

“Your mom was telling me that you’ve had a friend over a lot recently. Who’s he?”

Leo panicked and glanced at his mom, who gave him an apologetic look. “He’s a foreign exchange student from China. He doesn’t have a lot of friends and his host family is kind of mean to him, so he’s over here a lot. He’s a junior.”

“I see. Will we be able to meet him? Or did he go back already?”

“He’s in California visiting some of his family. He won’t be back until after you guys leave.”

“That’s a shame. Maybe next time, then.”

“Next time?”

“We’re coming back to see you graduate. Didn’t your mom tell you?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said.

After dinner, Leo helped his mom clean up and fell onto the couch. He had been sleeping there since his family had arrived. He snuggled up under his blankets and pulled out his phone to stare at his wallpaper. It was a picture of Guang that Nick had taken during the last week of school. According to Nick, Guang was laughing at something that Leo had said. As he was looking at it, he got a text from Guang.

**GH:** I really want to talk but I’m exhausted and I have to go to bed. I miss you. Goodnight.

Leo smiled and texted Guang back.

**L:** Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

Leo rolled over and fell asleep with his phone in his hands and a smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

It was the first day of school after the break, and Guang-Hong was nervous. He had flown in late the night before, but he wasn’t able to sleep. He was looking forward to seeing Leo again. But, he wasn’t looking forward to going back to school. He woke up early and got ready for school, then paced around his room until he got a text from Leo.

**L:** im outside

Guang-Hong quickly grabbed his bag and practically ran to the door. When he got to the car, he and Leo smiled at each other until Leo leaned forward and hugged him.

“I missed you,” Leo said after he pulled back.

“I missed you too.”

They smiled again and Leo started driving to school.

“So how was California?”

“It was okay. It was nice seeing my grandparents again, but I had to watch what I said the whole time. You’re kind of the only one I hang out with and my grandparents aren’t exactly okay with the whole gay thing.” They sat for a moment until Guang-Hong asked, “How was spending Christmas with your family?”

“Pretty much the same, honestly.”

“I see.”

“Do you want to go to the mall after school? We can catch up and relax for a bit.”

“Sure. Sounds great.”

* * *

After school that day, Leo and Guang-Hong went to the mall got some drinks from Starbucks, and sat at a table outside. They talked about their breaks and about school.

They were talking for about an hour when they noticed Candice and Thomas sitting at a table nearby.

“I think they’re arguing,” Leo said.

“Should we go somewhere else?”

“No, I think it should be fine. I don’t think they’ve seen us.”

The argument seemed to be escalating. Thomas was acting more and more aggressive towards Candice and was getting louder. Leo and Guang-Hong could hear bits and pieces of their conversation now, and it sounded bad.

Leo and Guang-Hong kept talking to each other about random things, but they both could tell that the other was worried about the fight happening a few feet away. Thomas and Candice were both standing now.

Thomas slapped Candice and Leo quickly got up and stood in between the two of them before Guang-Hong could even process what had happened.

“I think you need to leave,” Leo said.

“And I think you need to mind your own damn business, Iglesia.”

“I’m not just going to stand by and watch you hit your girlfriend. Or anyone for that matter.”

“Get out of my way or you’re next,” Thomas said through gritted teeth.

Leo glanced at Guang-Hong, who was still standing by their table, and said, “Leave or I’m going to get the cops. I might even have to call your mother. You have five seconds.”

Leo started counting from five and Thomas looked around him. By now, other people had noticed what was happening and were watching them. Thomas grunted, grabbed his bag, and left.

Leo breathed a sigh of relief and Guang-Hong started walking over to him and Candice. Leo turned to Candice and started asking if she was okay, but she interrupted him by throwing her arms around him and kissing him. Guang-Hong stopped dead in his tracks.

Leo managed to push Candice away. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked, wiping his mouth.

“Thanking you? Oh, Leo, I never should’ve broken up with you, can we be together again? I miss you so much.”

“Hell no! I have a boyfriend now. And I thought you couldn’t stand to be with a sinner?”

“I only said that because I knew my parents would be against it. I promise.”

“Well, too bad. It hurt, Candice. I don’t want to be with you anymore. I don’t even want to be friends with you, Candice.”

Candice deflated and grabbed her bag. She started walking away before turning back around. “Could you at least give me a ride home?”

Leo looked at Guang-Hong, who nodded. “Fine. Just this once.”

Candice squealed, grabbed Leo’s hand, and started walking towards the parking lot. Leo gave Guang-Hong an apologetic look, which Guang-Hong returned. He grabbed both their bags and followed them towards Leo’s car.

The second they got there and Leo unlocked the car, Candice hopped in the passenger seat, leaving Leo and Guang-Hong to stare at each other outside the car.

“I’m so sorry,” Leo said.

“It’s fine. Let’s just get her home.”

Leo grabbed Guang-Hong’s arm before he could get in the car. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Guang-Hong was confused. “Why would I be mad at you? She kissed you, not the other way around. If anything, I’m mad at her for kissing you even though she knew that you were with someone else.”

Leo smiled. “Good.” He kissed Guang-Hong on the cheek and got in the car. Guang-Hong followed suit.

The car ride home was awkward. Candice wouldn’t stop talking and didn’t seem to understand that Leo and Guang-Hong didn’t want to talk to her. It was the most Guang-Hong had ever heard her talk. The two boys were relieved when they finally pulled up in front of Candice’s house. She thanked Leo for driving her home and proceeded to get out of the car and walk inside.

Leo took a deep breath before turning around in his seat to look at Guang-Hong.

“I’m glad that you helped her out. It was the right thing to do.”

“Yeah, but now I’m kind of wishing that I hadn’t. She’s not going to leave either of us alone.”

“That’s going to be very different from what I’ve experienced with her. She’s barely ever spoken to me until today.”

“I’m surprised. Usually, no one can get her to shut up.” They both laughed and sat in the car for a moment longer, looking at each other.

“I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

“Definitely,” Leo said.

Guang-Hong got out of the car and walked up to the front door. He turned around and waved at Leo as he drove away. Then he took a deep breath and headed inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter, guys! If you follow my tumblr (cherrybombw.tumblr.com), then you know I've been having a little bit of writer's block. I know some of the things I want to happen, but I'm also running out of ideas. If you guys have anything YOU want to see, send me a message on my tumblr or leave a comment on this story or anything else you can think of. (I'll even credit you if I end up using your idea, unless you want to remain anonymous.) I'll try to post the next chapter on time! I hope you liked this chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: depictions of violence and some profanity are used in this chapter.

The next day at school, Candice wouldn’t leave Guang-Hong and Leo alone. Every second she could, she would hang out with one of them. She followed them to class and lamented to Guang-Hong that he didn’t ride with her to school that day.

At lunch, as Guang-Hong was pulling out his usual seat next to Leo, Candice swooped in and sat in the chair and started talking to Leo, getting closer than she probably should. Without even blinking, Guang-Hong sat on Leo’s lap and took out his lunch, pretending to listen to Candice. She didn’t seem to notice how uncomfortable everyone else at the table was by her being there.

Guang-Hong and Leo managed to escape to Leo’s locker towards the end of lunch while Nick distracted Candice.

“I’m so sorry about her,” Leo said. “I don’t really know how to tell her to stop without being mean about it.”

“It’s fine. I get it. I might ride home with her after school so I can try to talk to her.”

“Are you sure? You live with her and I don’t want to put you in that situation.”

“Yeah, I’m sure. If she gets mad it probably wouldn’t be much different from before.”

“True.” Leo closed his locker and leaned against it, looking at Guang-Hong. “This whole situation has me so stressed out. We aggravated Thomas yesterday and I don’t really know what’s going to happen next.”

“We’ll be fine.”

Candice walked up to where they were standing and said, “Hey, you guys left me all alone.”

“Sorry, we just wanted a little bit of alone time,” Guang-Hong said, his irritation plain on his face.

Candice didn’t seem to notice. “I think Nick was hitting on me and, not that I’m against it or anything, but he’s Jewish and I just  _ can’t  _ date someone who’s Jewish.”

“Candice. No offense, but no one cares. Could you leave us alone, please?” Guang-Hong said.

“Fine. I’ll see you both after school.” Candice flicked her hair over her shoulder and walked away.

Leo and Guang-Hong weren’t left alone for very long, though. A few moments after Candice left, Thomas showed up and banged on the locker directly behind Leo.

“What the  _ fuck _ do you think you’re doing with  _ my _ girlfriend, Iglesia?”

“As I recall, you two broke up yesterday,” Guang-Hong responded.

Leo gave Guang-Hong a very frightened  _ what-do-you-think-you’re-doing _ look.

“I wasn’t fucking talking to you, you brat. Why don’t you run off and go sew or something?”

“Who the hell do you think you are? You just order everyone around like you’re better than everyone else. Newsflash!” Guang-Hong said while throwing his hands in the air. “You’re not! You’re not better than anyone. You’re just the same as everyone else. I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but the world doesn’t revolve around you. Please, for the love of God, just leave us alone and mind your own goddamn business.”

Thomas shoved Leo off of his locker and into the middle of the hallway. He stepped closer to Guang-Hong and said, “What did you just say?”

“I  _ said _ -”

He didn’t get to finish. Thomas shoved him up against the lockers and started hitting and kicking at him. Guang-Hong tried to fight back, but Thomas had a hand at his throat and Guang-Hong couldn’t breathe. The only things he was focused on in that moment were Thomas’s hand around his throat, his angry face, and the sight of Leo behind him trying to pull him off.

He saw Nick and the rest of the hockey team run up and yank Thomas off of Guang-Hong. Guang-Hong fell to the ground and Leo and Nick went to help him while the team held Thomas down until a security guard came running up.

The next hour or so was full of meetings and interviews with the principal and the nurse. Luckily, Nick was able to convince the principal that it was all Thomas’s fault. Which it was, but the principal didn’t really believe it at first.

Guang-Hong could barely talk. His throat was scratchy and it hurt to breathe, let alone speak. The nurse said he could go home for the day if he wanted, but Guang-Hong refused. He didn’t want to leave the school and have everyone talk about what happened behind his back.

As Leo walked him to his last class for the day, Guang-Hong could feel bruises forming on his legs, arms, and stomach. Everything hurt.

“Are you sure you’re okay with going to class? We could just duck into the bathrooms until the last bell, if you want. No one would blame you for it.”

“I’m fine,” Guang-Hong choked out. “See you after class.”

“Okay. I’ll be here as soon as possible.” Leo gently put his hands on Guang-Hong’s face and kissed his forehead. He smiled and walked away to his class.

Guang-Hong took a deep breath and walked into class. The second the door opened, everyone’s head whipped towards the door. They all stared at Guang-Hong and kept their eyes on him as he walked to his desk and got his notebook out. He could tell that even the teacher was a little put off. She attempted to keep teaching, but it was obvious that she was distracted.

When class finally ended, Guang-Hong left the classroom to see Nick leaning against the wall waiting for him.

“I thought you went home already.”

“I was going to, but Leo texted me and asked me to wait for you after class and make sure you were okay. He also asked me to walk you out to his car.”

“Of course he did.”

“Do you need some water? You still sound pretty terrible.”

“No, thanks. It doesn’t help.”

“Okay.” They walked silently towards the parking lot until Nick said, “I heard that Thomas got suspended for a week. Then he has two weeks of lunch detention.”

“Wait. He only got  _ suspended _ for nearly  _ killing _ me?”

“Yeah, the school is crazy. Honestly, we’re lucky that you and Leo didn’t get punished too. I was able to convince Principal Howard that you didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I  _ didn’t  _ do anything wrong.”

“I know that, but, from the school’s perspective, you instigated the fight. And since Leo tried to pull him off, he could’ve gotten in trouble for participating in the fight.”

“That’s so stupid.”

“It could be worse. I once saw a girl get her head bashed into the concrete and she got a week of suspension. The girl who did the head-bashing only got three days of lunch detention.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah.” They finally made it to Leo’s car, and Guang-Hong got in the passenger seat while Nick and Leo talked outside of Leo’s car for a bit.

Nick walked away and Leo got in the car to start driving Guang-Hong home.


	16. Chapter 16

“Do you want to go to my house for a little bit? We could relax and I’m sure my mom would love to have you for dinner again,” Leo said.

“No. I just want to go home and lie down for a while.” They were quiet for a bit until Guang-Hong added, “I’ll call you later when I feel better though.”

“Okay.” Leo still looked worried, which Guang-Hong understood. He had been hurt pretty badly. He was mostly just tired though.

They pulled up in front of Candice’s house and Leo said, “Do you want me to walk you inside?”

“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you though.” Guang-Hong smiled at Leo, who leaned over and kissed Guang-Hong on the cheek. “Feel better soon, okay?”

“I’ll try. See you later.” Guang-Hong got out of the car and walked through the front door.

Candice met up with him near the door the second she heard it open. “Guang, can we talk?”

“Later. I need to lie down and be quiet for a while.”

“Okay. Just let me know when you’re ready to talk.”

Guang-Hong went to his room, gently crawled into bed, and fell asleep.

* * *

“Guang?” He could hear someone calling his name and pushing on his shoulder, but it was hard for him to open his eyes. When he finally did, he say Candice standing next to his bed. “Hey, sleepyhead. It’s dinnertime. It would probably be best if my parents didn’t see you like this, so I told them you weren’t feeling well. I also brought you your plate.”

“Thank you.” Guang-Hong sat up in bed, trying to rub the last bits of sleep from his eyes.

“Can we talk after I finish dinner? I  _ really _ need to talk to you.”

Guang-Hong looked at Candice and saw that she was really desperate to talk to him. “Yeah.”

“Awesome.” Candice was immediately beaming. “I’ll see you in a few.”

Candice left and Guang-Hong picked up his phone and called Leo while he ate his dinner on his bed.

Leo talked about his day and Guang-Hong assured him that he was feeling a little bit better, just sore.

“Candice is actually being really nice to me.”

“Really?

“Yeah. She got me out of dinner with her family and brought me food, which I’m eating right now.”

“That doesn’t really sound like her.”

“I know. She also really wants to talk to me about something.”

“What do you think it’s about?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll let you know after I talk to her though.”

“Okay.”

They stayed on the phone for a little bit longer until Guang-Hong heard a gentle knock on the door. “Come in!” Candice walked in and closed the door behind her. Guang-Hong said to Leo, “I have to go. I’ll text you.”

“Alright, bye,” Leo said.

“Bye.” Guang-Hong hung up and dropped his phone on the bed next to him. “What did you want to talk about?”

Candice sat down on the edge of the bed and said, “I wanted to apologize for what happened with Thomas. I feel like it’s my fault and-”

Guang-Hong cut her off. “It’s not your fault. It was mine. I provoked him when he was already angry and he reacted to it violently. That is in no way your fault.”

“If I hadn’t started dating him in the first place, then none of it would have happened. I saw you and Leo with your bodyguards the few weeks after you yelled at Thomas for being an ass. I could have stopped him, but I didn’t. So I still feel like it was my fault.”

“Why did you even date him?”

Candice looked down and started playing with the hem of her shirt. “I was trying to make Leo jealous. I realize now that it was stupid since he’s in love with you, but it made sense at the time.”

“Did you just say that Leo’s in love with me?”

“Yeah. I can tell by the way he looks at you. I could tell from the first day when he had just met you. He’s liked you from the beginning, Guang. I never had a chance.”

Guang-Hong stared at the bed. He didn’t really know what to say.

“I also wanted to apologize for being such a bitch to you. I know I shouldn’t have done that, but I was angry. I really liked Leo and I was so mad that he chose to be with you. I make a lot of stupid decisions, and I never think things through. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“What?”

“I said don’t worry about it. I forgive you. And you can keep hanging out with us, but just respect our boundaries and don’t get too attached to us.”

“Yes, of course. Thank you so much, Guang.” They were quiet for a moment until Candice said, “Do you want some ice? I can go get some.”

“I think I’m fine. I’m going to shower in a minute. Thank you though.”

“Of course.” Candice got up to leave, but turned around and said, “I didn’t mean that about Nick, by the way. Any of it. I was just trying to get Leo’s attention. Nick’s actually kind of cute. I sort of wish that he was hitting on me.” She smiled and headed to the door. “Let me know if you need anything.” She gently closed the door and Guang-Hong was left alone with his thoughts.

Was Candice right? Was Leo really in love with him? Guang-Hong had never thought about it before, but now the thought wouldn’t leave his head. It was going to be a long night.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, Guang-Hong let Candice drive him to school. He and Leo had resolved that until the end of the year, Candice would drive him to school and Leo would drive him home (or to his house). Candice got out of school early and wouldn’t be able to drive him home anyways. Candice didn’t talk much as she drove to school. She said it was because she had to concentrate on driving, but Guang-Hong figured it was because she didn’t know what to talk about.

Guang-Hong was sore all over, even more so than the day before. He tried his best not to show it; he didn’t want Leo or Candice to worry about him. When he took a shower the night before, he saw dark purple bruises on his arms, legs, stomach, and his neck. Lucky for him, it was still cold out, so he wore a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt to hide his bruises. He didn’t have anything to cover the ones on his neck, but it would be too obvious if he tried to hide those ones.

Guang-Hong had texted Leo the night before and told him about how Candice had apologized and seemed to be really sorry. Leo met up with Candice and Guang-Hong at the front of the school and the three of them walked to Guang-Hong’s locker. Candice and Leo made small talk while Guang-Hong got what he needed out of his locker. He could tell that they were both a little bit uncomfortable.

The bell rang and Candice said, “Well, I’ll catch up with you guys at lunch.”

“Okay. See you then,” Guang-Hong said. The two of them exchanged a smile and Candice walked down the hall towards her classroom. Leo and Guang-Hong walked towards their respective classes.

Now that Guang-Hong was alone with Leo, what Candice had said the night before started running through his head. Was Leo really in love with him? He knew that Leo  _ liked  _ him, but was he  _ in love _ with him? That was a much bigger deal than just liking each other.

“Guang, are you okay?” Leo asked, concern written plainly on his face. “You don’t look so good. Do you need to go to the nurse’s office?”

“No, I’m fine.” Guang-Hong put on a fake smile and said, “I think I’m just a little on edge from yesterday.”

The look on Leo’s face told Guang-Hong that he didn’t buy his excuse, but he dropped the subject in favor of getting him to class.

Once they got there, Guang-Hong turned to Leo and asked, “Did you get the hockey team involved again to get me to class?”

“I didn’t, actually.”

“Could you? I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk there by myself, especially with the way everyone’s staring at me.”

Leo looked concerned again and said, “Yeah, of course. Are you sure you don’t want to just go home? I could take you down to the nurse’s office.”

“No. Then Candice’s parents would find out and she said they’d be furious if they saw me like this. I’m fine, though. I’ll make it.”

“Okay.” Leo kissed Guang-Hong’s forehead and said, “I’ll see you at lunch.” Then, he turned around and headed off to his class at a half-jog.

* * *

This time around, Guang-Hong actually enjoyed being escorted to class by the hockey team. As the day went on, Guang-Hong was finding it harder and harder to walk. His legs were extremely sore and didn’t want to move. He was determined to prove to everyone that he could make it through the day, though. Closer to lunch, members of the hockey team had to support him to help him get to class.

Leo met up with Guang-Hong outside of his class right before lunch. He immediately noticed that Guang-Hong was struggling. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I can do it.”

“Guang, you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You got beat up yesterday and everyone knows it. No one would blame you if you went home.”

“Leo, I’m fine. I’m just a little sore.”

“Alright.”

Leo helped Guang-Hong walk to the cafeteria and sit down at their normal spots. Most of the hockey team was already there and Candice arrived shortly after they did. She ended up picking a seat between Guang-Hong and Nick. The team looked a little on edge having Candice at their table again, but they quickly noticed her change in behavior.

They didn’t talk about much, mostly classes and something called Mr. Pinnacle.

“Leo, are you doing Mr. Pinnacle this year? You’re a senior, so you might actually win,” said one of the team members. Guang-Hong didn’t remember his name.

“I might. I’m not sure though. I have a lot going on right now and I don’t know if I’ll have the time,” he said.

“What’s Mr. Pinnacle?” Guang-Hong asked.

“Do you know what a beauty pageant is?” Candice responded.

Guang-Hong nodded and his neck screamed at him for the action, but he ignored it.

Candice seemed to notice, but continued anyway. “It’s kind of like that, but for boys. It’s absolutely hilarious and all of the money goes to charity, I think.”

“Yeah, it does,” Leo said.

“Leo’s done it every year since he was a sophomore, but he’s never won. I think he could actually win if he participates,” the same team member from before said.

“Well, if  _ I _ decide to do it, Leo doesn’t even have a chance,” Nick said.

“You wish,” Leo said. They all laughed and the bell rang.  Leo helped Guang-Hong get out of his chair, which Candice definitely noticed.

“Guang, are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Let’s get you to the nurse’s office. I have one more class and then I’ll take you home.”

“No, I can do this.”

“Guang, you’re just going to hurt yourself. You aren’t proving anything to anyone by suffering like this. Come on. Leo can you help me?” She linked her arm under Guang’s and she and Leo started to walk away.

Nick stopped them and said, “Leo, you have a history test. I’m done with class already, I’ll take him down there.”

“But-”

“No buts. Get  _ your _ butt over to history.”

“Fine.” Leo turned to Guang-Hong and said, “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

And, just like that, they went their separate ways and Guang-Hong was half-carried to the nurse’s office.


	18. Chapter 18

The nurse decided that Guang-Hong should go home for the day. She also suggested that he stay home the next day, considering all he’d been through. She was also going to call Candice’s parents, but Candice convinced her not to.

“My parents are both at work right now and wouldn’t be able to pick him up until the end of the school day. I just have one more class so I can take him home after.”

“Are you okay with that, Guang-Hong?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and lie down, sweetie.” The nurse helped Guang-Hong stand from the chair he had been sitting in and led him to the back where there was a doctor’s table with paper over it. Guang-Hong lied down and Nick pulled a chair up to keep him company.

“I have to run to class. I’ll see you guys in a few,” Candice said. She left and they could hear her half-jogging in the empty hallway.

“I have a couple minutes before I have to leave for work, so I’ll keep you company for a while.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.” Nick was quiet for a minute before he leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and quietly said, “I still can’t believe he did this to you. What kind of jackass does this kind of thing? And why the hell did he get away with it? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

“I don’t really know. America is messed up.”

“You’re not wrong, honestly.”

“Are you really going to do Mr. Pinnacle?”

“Maybe. I’ve always wanted to and this is my last year here. I just don’t really want to regret it, you know?”

“Yeah.”

Nick was quiet again. Then he said, “Candice made a quick turn around. I’ve never seen her be so nice before. She’s always been a bit of a brat.”

“I think she was faking it. Being a brat, I mean.”

“Why though?”

“To make herself look cool? To try to get popular? Because she was afraid of people judging her for who she really is?”

“I guess. What made her change though?”

Guang-Hong laughed a bit, but it didn’t sound much like a laugh. “Me getting beat up.”

Nick gave him an alarmed look and Guang-Hong laughed a bit more. “I’m serious,” Nick said.

“So am I. She felt like it was her fault that this happened. She told me that last night. She’s just a girl who’s afraid of other people’s judgement. If you ask me, that’s not really that uncommon.”

“I guess you’re right.”

They were both quiet before Guang-Hong said, “She’s really pretty though. I feel like she would be fine just being herself.”

“‘She’s pretty.’ Aren’t you gay?”

“Just because I like boys doesn’t mean I can’t tell when a girl is pretty.”

“I know. I’m just teasing you.” Nick checked his phone and stood up saying, “I have to get going or I’m going to be late.”

“Hey, Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a really good friend.”

Nick smiled. “Thanks. Feel better, Guang. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Alright. Have fun at work.”

“I’ll try just for you. See ya.” With that, Nick left and Guang-Hong was alone with his thoughts.

He lied there staring at the ceiling and thinking about Nick and Candice and Leo for about ten minutes, then the bell rang. Guang-Hong tried sitting up on his own and had barely got himself upright when Candice ran into the room.

“We should wait until the halls clear up a bit before trying to get you outside,” she said between breaths.

“Did you run here?”

“Maybe. You can’t prove that though.” She smiled at Guang-Hong and he smiled back.

They waited a few more minutes for the halls to clear and for Candice to catch her breath. Once the warning bell rang, Candice helped Guang-Hong stand up and they started walking towards the parking lot.

Guang-Hong was able to walk a lot better than he had before lunch, but he was still very sore. Guang-Hong was beyond relieved when they made it to Candice’s car and she started driving them home.

“Do you want a snack when we get back? I can make you something.”

“No, thanks. I’m fine. I think I’m just going to take a nap.”

“Alright.”

They drove in silence the rest of the way home. When Candice parked her car in the driveway, she hurried around to the passenger side to help Guang-Hong get out and walked him all the way to his room and helped him lay down.

“Do you need anything?”

“No. I’m fine.”

“Okay. Text me if you need anything.” Candice turned around and started to shut the door behind her.

“Candice?”

“Hm?” She opened the door again and stuck her head back in the room.

“Thank you. For everything. You’ve been a big help.”

She smiled. “Of course, Guang. I’ll wake you for dinner,” she said. She shut the door behind her and Guang-Hong heard her walk towards the living room.

Guang-Hong made himself comfortable on his bed, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Guang-Hong woke up when he felt the bed shift as someone sat on the edge of the mattress. Without opening his eyes, he mumbled, “I’ll eat later, Candice,” and turned away to try and fall asleep.

He heard a familiar chuckle and sat straight up to see Leo sitting on hi bed, not Candice. “Sorry. She called me after I got out of school and said I could come over and stay for dinner. Her parents won’t be home until later tonight.”

Guang-Hong scooted over on his bed so Leo could sit with him properly. “How was school?”

“It was school. Pretty sure I bombed that test since I couldn’t stop worrying about you.”

“Leo, I’m fine. There’s no need to worry about me.”

“Guang, you could barely walk today. Everyone’s been worried about you. Thomas’s mom called me and asked if there was anything she could do for you.”

Guang-Hong shifted on the bed and responded, “What did you tell her?”

“I said that if she really wanted to help you she could send her son to military school so he can learn some to respect people and that he can’t solve everything with his fists.”

Guang-Hong laughed, and he felt a dull pain in his chest. “How’d she respond to that?”

“She just kind of sighed and said that she and her husband were already talking about it.”

“Wait, really?”

“Yeah. She said Thomas might not come back to Pinnacle.”

“Good. I hope I never see him again.”

“Me too.” They sat quietly for a moment before Leo asked, “Are you feeling any better?”

“A little. I’m mostly just really sore.”

“I figured. You have bruises all over you.”

Guang-Hong looked up at Leo. “How did you know that?”

“Your shirt lifted up while you were sleeping. I saw them when I walked in.”

“Oh.”

“I didn’t need you to tell me about them to know they were there anyways.”

“What do you mean?”

“The guy nearly killed you, Guang. I’d be more surprised if you  _ didn’t _ have any bruises after everything that guy did to you.”

“Oh.”

Leo saw that it was time to change the subject and said, “I decided to sign up for Mr. Pinnacle.”

“Really?” Guang-Hong moved so that he was laying on his side and facing Leo.

“Yeah, Nick and I are going to sign up together tomorrow morning.”

“You’ll definitely win. Nick doesn’t stand a chance.”

“He very much does stand a chance. He’s much more of a flirt than I am, which you need to win.”

“You’re more handsome though.”

“I think they’re equally handsome, actually.” Leo and Guang looked at the door to see Candice standing there carrying three mugs. “I brought some hot chocolate.” She passed them out and headed back to the door.

“You can stay, if you want,” Guang-Hong said.

She turned around and looked at them sitting on the bed. “Really?”

“Yeah, come and sit down,” Guang-Hong responded while sitting up and pulling his legs in. Leo followed suit so that Candice had enough room to sit.

“Thanks,” she said while sitting down.

“So what’s this about me and Nick being equally attractive?” Leo asked while taking a sip of his hot chocolate.

“Well, as far as looks go, you’re both conventionally attractive. Both of you are also really kind, intelligent, and athletic. I think it’s going to be really close.”

“I still say Leo’s going to win, though,” Guang-Hong said.

“Thank you, Guang. At least  _ someone _ believes in me.”

“I never said I didn’t! I said it would be very close, and I wouldn’t put my bets on either of you at this point.”

“You’re just saying that because you have a crush on Nick,” Guang-Hong said.

“I do not!”

“You totally do,” Leo said. “You flirt with him all the time.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Candice said while hiding her face in her mug.

They kept talking like this for a while, and eventually moved to the kitchen so they could keep talking while Candice cooked dinner. Leo offered to help, but Candice said no.

“If you really want to help, you can do the dishes after dinner,” she said.

They were halfway through dinner when Candice said, “Leo, I’m really sorry for the way I’ve treated you in the past.”

“Don’t worry about it. What’s in the past is in the past.”

“No, really. I was such a bitch because I thought it would make me popular and that people would like me. I was so worried about what other people would think of me that I never thought about how my actions might affect other people. Guang got really hurt because I wasn’t thinking about it. I’m so so sorry and I promise that I will act like a normal and sane person from now on.”

“You really don’t have to worry about it. That’s not who you are anymore and that’s all that matters. I appreciate the apology though.”

“Thank you. We should really do this again sometime if we can.”

“Oh, definitely.”

* * *

Guang-Hong missed the next two days of school, spent most of the weekend at Leo’s house, and went to school the following Monday and Tuesday, during which nothing interesting happened.

On Wednesday morning, the entire school was buzzing. Everyone was staring at Guang-Hong again, and he couldn’t figure out why. He was talking with Leo, Candice, and Nick near his locker when he asked, “Why is everyone staring again?”

“Thomas is supposed to come back to school today,” Nick said.

“Shit, he’s coming this way,” Candice said. Guang-Hong started to turn around to look, but Candice stopped him. “Don’t give him the attention. Just pretend I didn’t say anything.”

They kept talking for a little bit and switched the topic back to what they were talking about before. That is, until Thomas came over and tapped Guang-Hong on the shoulder.

Guang-Hong nervously turned around to face him, but didn’t let his nervousness show on his face.

“My mom said I had to apologize, so I’m sorry.”

“Apology not accepted,” Guang-Hong said. He started to turn back to talk to his friends, but Thomas grabbed his shoulder.

“What do you mean ‘not accepted’?”

“Firstly, it wasn’t even an apology. Second, you’re not actually sorry. Third, you nearly killed me and that doesn’t exactly warrant forgiveness. So, apology not accepted.”

“But you have to accept my apology.”

“I don’t  _ have _ to do anything. Why don’t you go about your business and I’ll go about mine and we both try to pretend the other doesn’t exist, okay?”

Thomas looked around before grunting and walking back in the direction he came from.

Guang-Hong turned back to his friends and Nick said, “You just have a death wish, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Every time you talk to Thomas, you get sassier than I have ever seen a person,” Candice said.

“Yeah,” Nick agreed. “You don’t exactly talk like that to a guy who had you in a chokehold.”

“I’m honestly past the point of caring.” Guang-Hong checked the time on his phone and said, “I have to go to class. I’ll see you guys later.”

Guang-Hong walked to class and ignored all the whispers that were happening around him. He had gotten used to it by now. He also ignored the soreness in his legs. He had gotten used to that too. The first bell rang while he walked.

Guang-Hong’s teacher wasn’t there when he got to class, but some of his classmates were. They looked up when he walked in and started clapping. He ignored them and sat down.

While he was getting his stuff out, a girl walked up to his desk and waited for him to notice her. When he did, she said, “Hi, I’m Casey. I copied my notes from the days you were gone and also wrote down the homework assignments for you.” She set a paper clipped stack of papers on his desk. “I’m also in your history class, so here are the notes from that.” She set another stack of papers on his desk next to the other one.

“Thanks, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I felt like you’ve been through too much recently to have to worry about how you’re going to get the note you missed. Let me know if you need anything else. Anything at all.” She had a wide grin on her face.

“Okay, thank you.”

Her smile somehow got even wider as she went to go sit at a desk in the back row. Guang-Hong had never seen her before in his life, but he was grateful that she had thought about him.

The rest of the morning went like that. In each of his classes, a girl Guang-Hong had never noticed before came up to him to give him their notes from the days he missed. He was grateful, but very confused.

He met up with the gang at their lunch table and asked them if they knew anything about it.

“Sounds like you’ve got a fan club, Guang,” Nick said.

“That’s ridiculous,” he responded.

“It’s true. Leo’s had one since freshman year. His is arguably bigger than yours though,” Candice said.

“How would you know that?” Leo asked.

Candice sipped on her chocolate milk and said, “I helped start your fan club.” The whole table stared at her and she quickly tried to recover herself. “In my defense, I had never gone to school with boys before. It wasn’t even my idea. It was some other girl’s and I just went along with it.”

“Anyways,” Guang-Hong said. “Why would a bunch of girls start a fan club over me? I’m not that special.”

“They think you’re really cute and brave.” Again, everyone stared at Candice. “Okay, look, I’m popular and I hear things. It’s not my fault. Anyways, they admire you because you stood up to Thomas multiple times, even after he nearly beat you to death. Most of them have a huge crush on you.”

“But I’m gay.”

“Most of them don’t know that you are. That, or they’re hoping that you’re bi or something so that they’ll have a chance.”

“And this is just a bunch of girls? What do they do exactly?”

“Well, from what I understand, it’s mostly freshmen and sophomores, but there’s quite a few juniors and several seniors that are a part of it too. They meet up on the weekends and do stuff like go to the mall. Sometimes they gossip about you, but not that often. The juniors teamed up to get you notes and stuff from when you missed class.”

Guang-Hong stared at the table for a bit before he asked, “When did they start this?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but probably after you stood up to Thomas that first time, like, forever ago.”

“Jesus christ,” Leo said. Leo thought for a moment and said, “Wait, how come my fan club never gave me any notes or anything when I was out of school?”

“I don’t know honestly. They didn’t talk to me much and kicked me out after we started dating.”

“Girls are insane,” Nick said.

“At least you don’t have a fan club,” Leo said.

“Not true. Someone started one at the beginning of the year after the first hockey game. It’s a really small one though.”

“How in the  _ hell  _ do you know all this stuff?” Nick asked.

“I told you. I’m popular and I hear things.”

“Do any of the rest of us have fan clubs?” someone else asked.

“Not that I’m aware of, no.”

“Damn,” they said under their breath.


End file.
